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The demise of books to e-readers

Las Cruces Sun-News

Posted:
02/27/2014 01:00:00 AM MST

I have written before about my reluctance to adopt e-reader technology, about my nearly-sentimental preference for bound books.

I don't own a Kindle or a Nook, and I can't imagine that I will any time soon. On the other hand, I do own thousands of books. I made the decision almost 20 years ago to collect books — many of which are signed, first editions. It's a decision I only regret when I have to move.

I just prefer the tactile experience of holding a book in my hand and the smell of a book. It's almost a visceral experience — and it's one I don't get from an e-book. But there's something else about the digital alternative that I find unsettling: e-book sales are slowly strangling the life out of traditional bookstores. I'm not okay with that. And neither is bestselling author James Patterson.

Last week, the writer started handing out grants to more than 50 independent bookstores around the country. He has chosen to give away $1 million of his personal riches in an effort to buoy America's devoted booksellers.

"I just want to get people more aware and involved in what's going on here, which is that, with the advent of e-books, we either have a great opportunity or a great problem," Patterson told the New York Times. "Our bookstores in America are at risk. Publishing and publishers as we've known them are at stake. To some extent, the future of American literature is at stake."

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And he's right. If we follow the trajectory of the past several years to its logical conclusion, it's not hard to imagine a world in which the publishing industry crumbles, leaving authors to fend for themselves — self-publishing e-books and selling them online. In that scenario, there are no cash advances, which often afford a writer the freedom to write full-time. There's no marketing machine to help publicize the book. Each author would have to go it alone in an increasingly cluttered sea of writers. E-books might be unedited or self-edited, as those services are typically performed by the publisher.

When readers stop buying printed books it's not just the bookstores that suffer, it's the entire publishing mechanism. We have long relied on the wisdom of publishers to serve as the gatekeepers as a form of quality control. It's important for that system to remain intact. I can't tell you how many orange-spined Penguin Books I've purchased on the strength of the publisher's reputation alone. The same is true of Black Sparrow, Grove Press and Little, Brown and Company. If I were wading through the murky waters of self-published e-books, that wisdom would cease to be useful.

James Patterson's generosity is admirable, but the entire publishing model is in jeopardy as e-books become more popular. I appreciate Patterson's efforts to help independent booksellers, and I understand how desperately they need a lifeline. But as a reader who loves books, I hope that you'll continue to sustain the publishing model that puts those books on the shelves in the first place.

Damien Willis is the music director at Hot 103. Read past columns and contact him at damiennow@gmail.com.